@tadunnjr
See my full answer above, but I revised a couple of points after sending it to make things a bit more clear.
If you already chose to pay the fee out of your Federal refund (which adds Premium Services), then you'd have to go through that file/pay section again and remove that payment option and choose to pay by credit/debit card instead. I don't have a way to look at those screens, but there should be some place to choose to pay by credit/debit card somewhere along the line before the final screens where you sign and submit the return.
Otherwise, if you haven't chosen it yet, then instead advance past that screen that mentions/offers Premium Services for 44.99, and then pay the 24.99 upfront by credit/debit card, you avoid any extra fee. You don't get any of the Premium Services bundle, and it should only charge you 24.99 plus possible sales tax.
